Phantom 'attacker' strikes again

Four women claimed to have been stabbed with syringes in Macau yesterday, as rumours sweep the enclave that HIV-positive prostitutes are staging needle attacks as a revenge on society. A teenage boy and an elderly woman claimed to have been stabbed on Tuesday. Rumours of assaults began in neighbouring Zhuhai and Zhongshan about two weeks ago. A source at the Macau Health Department blamed hysteria, saying some of the alleged victims would not show doctors their wounds. Results of HIV and Aids tests on the alleged victims will be known in three months.